New Age: Dark Pages of a Fox
by lilkoisuru
Summary: Once Robotnik is gone, Sonic and his team are challenged with a difficult opponent: a two-tailed fox with a Chaos Emerald! (Based on 'New Age,' by hitobito.)
1. The First Chapter

New Age: Dark Pages of a Fox  
  
First Chapter  
  
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing in this story, including the basic concept and story, which is owned by hitobito. SEGA owns Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Robotnik, and Tikal.  
  
BEE'S GREETING AND NOTE: Salutations. I am hitobito's older sister, lilkoisuru.  
  
First, I suggest you read hitobito's story, "New Age," first, and then "New Age: Dark Pages of a Fox," so my efforts will be better understood.  
  
Now, being blessed with the opportunity to read "New Age," hitobito's story personally--to review it verbally, even--I have been given permission to take his story concept into my own hands, to bring forth my own ideas along this similar plot-line. I will, however, remove any Archie Comics connections. I do this because I do not remember the plot lines nor the characters as well as my brilliant sibling does, nor have I time to research these elements. Please remember I exclude them as no insult or criticism to the Archie Comics universe or its fans. Being a most entertaining challenge, I will exclude all mentions of the Ancient Walkers, that our little Tails is the Chosen One, the SWATbots' threat to Mobius, Mobius itself, Knothole, Robotropolis, etc.  
  
Instead, I will solely base my rendition of the themes and settings on the SEGA games--solely qualities from Sonic the Hedgehog 1, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic and Knuckles, Sonic Adventure 1, and Sonic Adventure 2. The Archie Comic's individuals and settings will be replaced with similar stages and characters from the SEGA universe's elements as closely as possible.  
  
My apologies for the long note. Gomen.  
  
On with the story!  
  
********************  
  
Chapter 1 -   
  
The End of a Tyrant  
  
With tremendous force, Sonic hits the ground with a loud, anxious "Umph," just short of a whimper. The sound echoes against the hills and cliffsides. Tails flinches at the sound. Again, somehow, the exhausted hedgehog pushes himself up again.  
  
I can't believe that Robotnik found Mystic Ruin! Tails's mind races. I can't believe that he's attacking us and our home like this!   
  
"S-Sonic, hold on!" yells the red echidna, who is currently plastered against a tree. He strains to free himself from the guck, which is the only thing keeping Knuckles's claws from ripping into Robotnik's neck.  
  
Tails, who is only a few yards from Sonic, looks up at Knuckles with helpless, tear-filled eyes. He looks down at his best friend as Sonic continues repeating to himself that he must not lose this; that he must not fail. He sees Sonic's bloodied face turn painfully to his own.   
  
Sonic sees the orange kit is crouched down in an almost-fetal position, tears welling in his eyes, as if he is also feeling Sonic's pain. He is sitting near the rubble of Robotnik's hovercraft. Sonic smiles kindly, proud of his little kit, who had easily destroyed the Eggman's handy device. When Robotnik whipped out his newest version of Metal Sonic--yet again--Tails had defeated it as well. The courageous fox did it even before Sonic could regain his composure from when Robotnik nailed him with his hovercraft.   
  
Sonic's glance is immediately wrenched away as he is forced down again. He winces at the bolt of pain that grinds into his chin as he hits the hard earth, all his breath dramatically forced out. Sonic discovers that he his being pressed down by a heavy force.   
  
Robotnik is not about to allow him to arise this time. The fat Eggman's baneful laughter fills the air as he presses the tattered hedgehog against the ground. "This will teach you to destroy Metropolis. I was proud of my Oil Ocean maze and my deliciously evil city! You will pay for destroying all my plans and all my hard work!"  
  
Sonic's eyes blur as he feels blood gently trickle down his chin. His tired mind suddenly shifts to a similarly dark night, long ago.  
  
******Flashback******  
  
"I'm called 'Tails'! Ha ha ha! You're sure funny lookin'!"  
  
Sonic smiles, and tweaks Tails's ear, "I'm sorry I asked. What are you doing wandering out here in the dark?" He sees Tails's expression of innocence on his face. "It's dangerous. There are Badniks teeming everywhere."  
  
Tails happily returns the ear-tweak. Sonic cannot help but laugh. "Come on. Let's get out of here."  
  
"Y'mean... I c'n go with you?!"  
  
"Well, yeah. You need protection. The Badniks around here can easily catch you. It is the Mystic Ruin Jungle, after all. Lots of terra-bots have been ordered here. We should head to Hill Top, or Emerald Hill, at least, where it is much safer."  
  
"What are 'terror-bots'?" Tails asks, frightened, as the two begin to walk.  
  
Sonic looks back at the kit, "It's pronounced, 'terra.' Those are Badniks that are confined solely to the ground."  
  
"To the ground?"  
  
"Yeah. They can't climb or fly. Mostly, they can only jump."  
  
Tails laughs. "That's not a problem, then!"  
  
Suddenly Sonic feels his feet lift off the ground, and looks up to see his hands clasped firmly in Tails's hands. His astonished eyes meet up to Tails's face, who is laughing.   
  
"You... we're flying!" the hedgehog exclaims.  
  
"Yep! I have two tails! That's why I'm called 'Tails'!"  
  
**End*of*Flashback**  
  
Silence fills the air. Tails opens his eyes when he senses a shadow fall over him. Immediately he hears Robotnik begin cackling again. Tails realizes that he is standing directly above him. Before the kit can react, a huge, fat arm blows into his head, and he feels himself hit the ground violently. He looks up, in a daze, to see Robotnik standing now over Sonic's limp body. He regains his balance enough to sit up. Tails's eyes focus, only to see Robotnik rapidly landing hard blows on the defenseless hedgehog. All this just does not seem real to him.   
  
It's not real... Tails fuzzily thinks, not really... hap-happening...  
  
He scans down to see a slowly growing dark-red pool surround Sonic's motionless body.  
  
What's that stuff? What's that... stuff... around Sonic...?  
  
An almost-silent voice rings into Tails ears. "It is blood. Sonic's blood. He's... dying..." Before Tails can realize that the whisper was his own, he snaps! His only family. His only friend. He is dying! He's dying! Dying!!  
  
Knuckle's eyes widen as he witnesses Tails leap into the air. Out of the air-borne kit explodes a feral scream that makes Knuckles jump, hitting his head against the branch above him. He closes his eyes in pain. Both the sound of his head hitting the branch and the echo of Tails's screech rings in his ears. When he opens his eyes, he sees Robotnik lying on the ground, unconscious, with the wild Tails fuming above him.  
  
"Tails!"  
  
Tails shakes his head as he looks up from his prey. He returns to himself, and sees Knuckles's amazed face.  
  
********************  
  
An hour later finds Sonic conscious enough to make small sounds, but is not awake yet. Tails is next to him, sobbing. Knuckles, now freed from his sticky prison, is trying console the weeping fox.   
  
Against the same tree Knuckles was caught up in is the out-cold Robotnik, now bound securely by the guck to the tree, along with some rope found nearby. His fate was sealed; he is to be executed, and soon.  
  
"It's okay, Tails. Sonic is alive."  
  
A low groan is heard as Sonic's eyes slowly open. His head moves slowly to the left, then to the right as he takes in his immediate surroundings. "T-Tails... Knuckles. You're okay. You're both alive." He sighs weakly with relief. "Thank goodness." His eyes pick up the outline of Robotnik in the distance. His breathing becomes rapid and strained. "Watch out! Robotnik is--!"  
  
"He is out of action. Thanks to--"  
  
The snap of a twig interrupts Knuckles triumphant announcement. Two figures appear.  
  
"SONIC! You did it!" A pink blur whizzes by the fox and the echidna to the recovering hedgehog. "You defeated the Eggman!" The air is squeezed out of Sonic by an excited Amy, who has just now arrived.  
  
"Amy. Hold on. Don't hurt the poor guy," cautions her companion. "He looks awfully wounded."  
  
"Ack! Sorry, Sonic!" Amy then reaches into her pocket, and gives Sonic a small, shiny medal.  
  
Sonic, realizing what is going on, takes the medal. He utters a small word of gratitude, and then hands it to Tails. "It is rightfully Tails's medal."  
  
"Sonic?" Amy looks at Sonic.   
  
"Amy, it wasn't me. It was Tails. He defeated Robotnik"   
  
Amy's mouth hung open in astonishment. "What? Really?" She turns her head to Tails, who is looking down humbly at the medal.  
  
Knuckles turns to her and confirms the whole story on how Tails is the hero.  
  
"Is that true, Knuckles?" asks Amy's mysterious companion.  
  
"It is." Knuckles pauses. "Who are you?" he inquires, as he and the others had not really noticed the person who was with Amy until now.  
  
Amy smiles and happily says, "This is Tikal! Do you not remember her?"  
  
Everyone is dumb-founded, save the smiling hedgehog and Tikal herself. She lifts the hood from her head, and bows politely.  
  
"She helped me find you guys!" announces Amy. "I got lost in the yucky Oil Ocean maze when I was trying to find my way back here from Metropolis's ruins."  
  
Tikal smiles, "It's amazing to find Robotnik against that tree. We thought for sure he had escaped."  
  
"How are you here in this time?"  
  
Tikal, still smiling, answers, "Desperate times call for desperate measures. The Master Emerald granted my wish to help my friends, so here I am."  
  
Knuckles smiles.  
  
Sonic nods, and is now sitting up. "Well, then. All is well."  
  
********************  
  
End First Chapter  
  
BEE'S COMMENTS:  
  
lilkoisuru: I hope our readers have read and reviewed hitobito's story, and mine, too, since there are some differences between our first chapters.  
  
Tails: I still think your story isn't as good at hito's! I miss Sally!  
  
Sonic: Sally, I'm sure, is okay with it. I think Koi did fine.  
  
lilkoisuru: *Stars appear in her eyes.* Why, thank you, Sonic! :: turns to Tails, and hands him a Sonic drawing to cheer him up.:: I'll do my best for you, Tails.  
  
Tails: I think you did fine, too! ::shows Sonic the sketch and smiles.:: 


	2. The Second Chapter

New Age: Dark Pages of a Fox  
  
Second Chapter  
  
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing in this story, including the basic concept and plot, which is owned by hitobito. SEGA owns Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Robotnik, and Tikal. What are you reading this for?  
  
BEE'S NOTE: Hello, again. I have just a few things to say. Robotnik is executed in the first chapter of hitobito's story; however, it does not take place in mine because of Tikal's introduction. It seems that when there is just too much in a first chapter, the mind becomes saturated with facts, actions, and characters. In turn, readers come to lose interest. So I ended Chapter One with the end of the first day. I will put his execution in this chapter. But the good thing is Robotnik is defeated! Bwah ha ha ha hah!  
  
Okay. Note's finished.  
  
On with the story!  
  
********************  
  
Chapter 2 -  
  
The Invention  
  
"Sonic. How do you feel?" asks a happily relieved Tails, who is skipping toward him, shielding his eyes from the rising sun. Even after staying awake all the night before, keeping an eye on the pridefully angry Robotnik--quite a task--the little kit is fully awake and happy, as if he had gotten a full night's rest.  
  
Sonic smiles, cheered by the fox, and nods encouragingly, "I'm fine. I only need a cane."  
  
Tails bobs around his hero, laughing.  
  
The two walk over to where Knuckles is working. They see he has almost completed preparing the grounds for Robotnik's public execution. "I heard you stayed awake with Tails last night." The Guardian says when he hears his friends approach.  
  
"Well, I felt safer with Tails around," Sonic chuckles.  
  
Tails pipes up, "You didn't have to, you know!"  
  
"I know."  
  
********************  
  
The warm sun and a playful breeze frolic gently along the pathways leading to the area of execution. Swirls of leaves play along the ground as the time arrives. Now, being about a quarter to nine, the beginnings of a crowd begin to gather along the linking roads.  
  
The citizens of Mystic Ruins expand from several directions along the paths. They seem to be invigorated by the warm sun and the long-awaited event. As they pass along the paths leading to the public grounds, they all become united in a mood of relief and happiness. Robotnik's threat has come to an end; there is finally peace. The quiet of the area gradually becomes filled with the spirited sounds of its natives.  
  
Laughter of children fills the air. Some children skip happily alongside their parents. Others come to gather together, playfully reenacting the events of the day before, filling the air with the sounds of energetic arguing over who gets to play Tails, Sonic, or Knuckles; no one wants to play Robotnik.   
  
Their parents carry blankets, pillows, food, and other knickknacks needed for the approaching festivities. They add to the buzz in the air with the hum of talk. They speak together about the surprise they felt when finding out about what had happened last night in the dark. The adults converse together, mutually agreeing about their ease of knowing the three heroes are fellow citizens of their hometown, Mystic Ruins. They utter their regret that Sonic is still in pain, and how Knuckles's fur is still matted with guck. They all pass along amidst themselves the same energy their children possess as they near their goal: a good place to sit and watch.  
  
Different comments are expressed to Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Tikal as the people pass along them: "Wow, Tails. You're my hero!" "Hi, Amy! Aren't you just so proud of Sonic?" "I didn't know you were so lucky!" "Sonic, you still fought bravely." "Oh, Knuckles! Are you okay? I'm afraid of heights; I'd hate to be trapped up in a tall tree like that!" "Your name is Tikal? You look lovely today. You must be pleased with your friends." And so forth. Each received the compliments gratefully.  
  
The crowd continues to grow and grow. Tails decides to leave quietly when he sees that the crowd has grown too large.   
  
As Sonic and Knuckles notice together that Tails is gone, Sonic comments that Tails will miss the ceremony.   
  
"He's probably overwhelmed. Give him some slack," Knuckles responds as the sound of the crowd dies down. They turn to the crowd finally.  
  
The air becomes totally silent; the time has come.  
  
********************  
  
Because Tails did not attend the ceremony, he had become quite busy working in his hut. That morning, he was awarded a Chaos Emerald and was named "Hero of All". With mild amusement, the clever kit watches his own hands nimbly put different components together, seemingly at random. Wishing, as always, to give his creations function, he seems to desire this more so now than ever. He now seeks to use the emerald in his invention.  
  
His mind races and whirls as he works. His thoughts swirl over his whole life:  
  
He is Miles "Tails" Prower, a small, orange two-tailed fox, who has been living a tragedy almost his whole life. Since birth, he had been taunted and pitied because of his tails, up until he taught himself to fly. By spinning his tails like a helicopter rotor, he earned a small bit of respect. Then a huge, horrible man named Robotnik struck Tails' hometown and burned it to the ground; Tails never saw his parents again. Most believe they were killed; but some think they were roboticized by the Eggman. One thing was certain, though: Tails was an orphan. Then he met Sonic, and he found he was never alone or hurt again.  
  
Before he was discovered, Tails became something of a lonely hermit. He had wandered from Hill Top to Green Hill and eventually found himself lost in the Mystic Ruin Jungle. That is where Sonic found him. He was there responding to a report he received of a concentrated amount of Badniks ordered to the area. Desiring to protect him, he took Tails home, to the safety of Mystic Ruins. Tails became attached to Sonic instantly.  
  
As time passed Tails developed a passion for creation. Through this fancy, the kit refined his knack at building machines, and had developed his own plane, the Tornado, that, to Tails's delight, was fast enough to keep up with Sonic. He developed the Tornado 2 at a desperate time; by then, his skills had progressed quite impressively.  
  
********************  
  
The execution had been finished by Sonic, who cast the final stone. It was now the afternoon--about four--and Sonic is now looking for his little friend.  
  
"Knuckles, have you seen Tails?" Sonic asks when he sees Knuckles conversing quietly with Tikal.  
  
"I think I saw Tails leave when the busy crowd became too restless," Knuckles answers, his mind mostly focused on the girl he is talking to.  
  
"Thanks," Sonic says as he speeds off in the direction of Tails's hut. Poor kid, he thinks. His thoughts are interrupted when he hears a series of sudden noises erupt from Tails's workshop.  
  
Sonic is somewhat concerned. He has never heard such loud noises coming from Tails's place, aside from the time he made the new engine for the Tornado. The racing hedgehog smiles, recalling that happy event. When Sonic arrives, he knocks on the door, and the sounds immediately die down.  
  
Tails, answering the door, is found holding a black box. Tails smiles. "Hi Sonic!" Tails says cheerfully.   
  
"What in the world is that?" asks Sonic.  
  
"Oh, this? It's a new invention I'm workin' on that uses the energy of Chaos Emeralds!"  
  
"But what is it?" Sonic reiterates.  
  
"A power converter. I hope it will one day replace those polluting power plants."  
  
Sonic chuckles. "You sure like playing the hero, don't you? First, you defeat Robotnik, and now you're out to save the environment the very next day!"   
  
Tails smiles, and then continues, pointing to a very pointy-looking protrusion on the side of the box. "See this little knob here? This is a power-transfer node."   
  
"I see." Sonic says, a little mystified.  
  
Tails then holds up a very thick wire. He goes on, "It connects to this wire."  
  
"Wow, it's about the thickness of my arm." Sonic observes lightly.  
  
"The wire then splits out and spreads over a city, powering it," Tails resumes. "The plant would only be about the size of my hut." He sets the box down behind him. He points to a Sonic-sized fan over by the window. "I hooked the converter up to this fan. It revolved really fast."   
  
"It works then," Sonic perceives.  
  
"I'll say," the kit says as he picks up a plate and holds it up for Sonic to see. On the plate lay very thin, orange disks. The kit smiles, delighted, and says, "It spun so quickly that it cleanly sliced these carrots. I'm still not sure how to implement that though."  
  
Sonic chimes in, "Uhhh... maybe an efficient, new way to implement food-slicing technology?"  
  
Tails gives him a stern look. He then smiles and places the plate down on his desk. "Can I help you with something, Sonic?"   
  
Sonic waves his hand passively and says he was just curious as to what Tails was doing when he heard those noises.  
  
Tails looks at him, touched. "I'll work on this later," he decides as he slides the box under his bed. "But for now, I'm gonna get me somethin' to eat." He leaves Sonic behind to think, and he exits the hut.  
  
Sonic retrieves the box out from underneath the bed, and takes a closer look at it. He notices that the emerald-shaped slot is empty. "Strange. Where is his Chaos Emerald?" Feeling little uneasy, he puts the box back under Tails's bed. Dismissing the feeling as a mere fleeting thought, Sonic speeds out of the hut.  
  
Back at the mess hall, Knuckles, Amy, Tikal and other lingering citizens of the Ruins are gathered, waiting. They are sitting in somewhat close proximity to one another, discussing the reconstruction of Metropolis.   
  
An older resident continues throwing in his two cents, "...and we must remember that the city is all of ours."  
  
"That's right," Knuckles concurs, "Metropolis was a booming capital before Robotnik got control of it and polluted everything."  
  
"...and I would that we should do our best to help rebuild it. The Oil Ocean is an outright disgrace to our planet," the older man continues as Tails walks in.  
  
The entire room erupts into applause to Tails. Amy and Tikal each give him a hug and a kiss. Sonic, who had entered the room as well, moves that Tails is the "greatest hero of all our generation".  
  
"Here, here!" many of the people say immediately, holding up their glasses.  
  
"Hence the title, 'Hero of All'," adds Tikal.  
  
A delightfully large cake is then brought in by Amy, who places it right in front of Tails. After making a few finishing touches to the beautiful delicacy, she turns to the kit, and almost sings, "You are now given the honor of cutting the first piece!"   
  
Tails does so very carefully. Just as he turns to give the piece to Sonic, the latter holds up his hand and tells him he gets to keep it. Tails smiles, and everyone happily pariticipates in the party.  
  
Little did they know that something would soon occur that would change the life of every being in Mystic Ruins and on the planet.  
  
********************  
  
End Second Chapter  
  
BEE'S COMMENTS:  
  
lilkoisuru: Whoo... Long chapter this time.  
  
Sonic: Zzzzzzzzz... *snort* Huh? Oh, yeah! Ah-hah-hah-hah...hah...  
  
Tails: ::laughs:: hitobito would be proud.  
  
lilkoisuru: You like it, Tails?  
  
Tails: For another sketch, I'll answer your question!  
  
lilkoisuru: Too bad. ::sticks out her tongue.::  
  
Sonic: Zzzzzzzzz... 


	3. The Third Chapter

New Age: Dark Pages of a Fox  
  
Third Chapter  
  
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing in this story, including the basic concept and plot, which is owned by hitobito. SEGA owns Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Robotnik, and Tikal. Come on! You already know what this is about!  
  
BEE'S NOTE: Ah, so you are continuing. Good for you! In hitobito's third chapter, he uses a lot of things from the Archie Comics universe. How fun this will be to try to convert into a SEGA-centered plot. Well, read on. Let's see what happens!  
  
As hitobito says, "Doh-ho-ho-ho-ho-hoh!"  
  
On with the story!  
  
********************  
  
Chapter 3-  
  
The Incident  
  
Tails is not quite sure what he wants to do at the moment exactly. All he can decide, however, is that, for some reason, he does not want to go to the ruins of Metropolis with the others.  
  
"Come on, Tails. We need your help--"  
  
"Just leave him alone, " Knuckles interrupts Amy's entreaty.  
  
"He's right, Amy. Tails is tired. He hasn't slept in almost two days," Sonic concurs. He then turns to the kit, "Right? You're gonna stay behind to rest."  
  
Tails looks toward his shed, which has been calling to him ever since the latter part of the banquet. Actually, more specifically, his new project is what has been calling him. The lure of the emerald powering that fan tripped something in the now-thinking fox's mind. He turns to Sonic after a moment, replying slowly, "No, I don't think I will sleep."  
  
Reading the preoccupied look on his friend's face, Sonic decides to give up on the matter of convincing him to rest while they are gone.  
  
"Well, we'll see you in a bit, Tails," Tikal sweetly says. She has just now joined the group. Her face shows great enthusiasm in readiness to help her friends to rebuild their reclaimed land.  
  
This, in turn, causes a certain red echidna to smile to himself.  
  
********************  
  
Again Tails smiles as he watches his skilled hands move this way and that--correcting a wire here, adjusting a screw there. The concept of turning a mere thought into an actual, tangible thing just delights Tails every time. At the simple tweak of a small piece of hardware, he invents; with the mere flick of a switch, he creates. The feeling is almost as if--whether it be a plane, a motor, or even just a malfunctioning light switch--he is bleeding a piece of his soul into his undertakings.  
  
This time, however, the feeling is beyond anything he has ever felt before. The rush of intense emotion pushes his fingers harder.  
  
He collapses, breathless from exhaustion. He turns to his Chaos Emerald. He smiles. He places the red-glowing jewel into its aperture. He quietly, but eagerly, flicks the switch.  
  
********************  
  
Knuckles, wiping away a bit of sweat that had accumulated on his forehead, turns his head slightly, glancing his eyes to the quiet echidna next to him. He had been quite pleased to have her here in his time. His ancestry always mystified him. All he really can recall about who he is comes just what he knows now: that he is the Guardian of the Master Emerald and he is the only one left. But with her here, he can learn more. He glances again to the girl that is his history. His eyes widen when he sees she is returning the glance. His mind veers around in thought again. "Uh..." is all he can get out. Well, I gotta say something to her or I look like an idiot. He tears his attention away from her. A staring idiot. "Do you know if...?"  
  
"Mm?" she responds.  
  
He takes a breath. "About how long will it take to rebuild Metropolis, d-do you think?" His eyes are looking down at some random debris which have suddenly become extremely fascinating.  
  
"Well, I'd guess about three years to clear the debris," she says, and then stops and sits up, looking up, thinking. "And I'd say about eight years to rebuild."  
  
Everyone stops. A sudden, distant rumble had just emanated through the ground just then, and all the workers from Mystic Ruins are caught off-guard. Sounds of fright, both distant and nearby, begin to fill the air: "That sounded like it came from Mystic Ruins..." "My children!" "What's happening?" And so on.  
  
Amy, hearing the fellow citizens' exclamations, now feels very uneasy. She crouches closely next to Sonic. "Wh-What was that?"  
  
Sonic did not seem to be paying much notice to Amy, or even the other workers, at the moment. His ears and eyes are focused intently on something. "Do you hear that?" He utters quietly.  
  
Knuckles turns to Sonic. Amy turns likewise. They both confirm they hear it, whatever it is.  
  
"It just sounds like a storm coming," Amy says placidly.  
  
"It's not a storm. It's different. Coming from where? Which way, Sonic?" Knuckles asks, a quite a bit more concerned than Amy.  
  
Sonic indicates to where he believes he hears the pernicious sound. "From that way. The south."  
  
Tikal stands up quickly, "I hear it, too."  
  
The air begins to change a color similar to the hue the sky takes just before a tremendous storm, but it has a redder wash. Shadows all around take on a look like blood. A cold, unsettling breeze twists this way and that. It dances as if to taunt the gods, and anger the heavens.  
  
As the air changes, Tikal becomes even more alert. "Whatever it is, it's causing a lot of energy interference in the clouds," she crouches down and touches the dry dirt beneath her with her palm. "And in the ground. It feels like it is pulsing."  
  
At this, Sonic's ears prick up. "Can you tell what kind of energy?"  
  
She turns her face to Knuckles, "The kind caused by--"  
  
Knuckles likewise turns to her and nods. Ominously, they say as one, "Contortion of a Chaos Emerald."  
  
The sound intensifies. Sonic shrinks a little. "It's coming closer."  
  
Knuckles gapes at Sonic, looking somewhat pale.  
  
"But emeralds can't move on their own," Amy points out.  
  
Suddenly Amy and Sonic are blown over by an orange streak. By the time they can stand up, they hear dark chuckling. They turn both at once. Tails is standing just behind them, smirking.   
  
The sneering kit is tossing his Chaos Emerald from hand to hand. The large bauble is glowing a fiery red, giving Tails's hands a look of being covered in blood. "Hello, Tikal." He maliciously takes her by the base of the neck, and squeezes. He chuckles as she slips to the ground with a stolid thud. "One pest down." He says, then laughs again.  
  
Amy walks up to Tails with her signature naiveté. She places her hands gently on his, unaware that she is touching the red-shined emerald. "What is wrong with you? Why did you do that?" she asks tearfully.   
  
All of a sudden, she is grabbed by the neck by Tails. "Oh, be quiet," the darkened kit growls. "I hate all this order and peace. That's all it is," he replies. He then narrows his eyes, "And don't ever touch my emerald." With a toss of his arm, he causes Amy to fly across the area and crash densely into Knuckles. Both scrape the ground, and fail to rise. Snickering, he turns to the others, "Maybe it would be more healthy for all of you if you surrender without a fight."   
  
Sonic walks up to Tails, staying just out of reach, and asks him slowly, "What happened to you? Why are you--!" He is nailed in the stomach and slammed into the ground.  
  
Tails is standing over him now. He laughs again through his twisted smile, and remarks, "Isn't it ironic, Sonic? This is much like the way the oh-so terrible Eggman stood before you, before I snapped and took him down." A dark red aura rises up, surrounding the kit. "Sadly, there is no one to take me down. And I told you already; I hate order and peace." He turns his back to Sonic, and, with a low growl, utters, "You all make me sick!" He turns briskly and kicks the gasping Sonic, and watches him slam against a broken brick wall. As the hedgehog falls to the ground, the weakened structure topples over his battered body.  
  
Sonic barely utters Tails name, and then slips into unconsciousness, helpless. This time, there is no one to rescue him.  
  
********************  
  
End Third Chapter  
  
BEE'S COMMENTS:  
  
Tails: ::is crying.:: Why do you make me do that to Sonic?!  
  
lilkoisuru: I'm sorry. But that's what happens in hitobito's story, and I have to go along with his plot as closely as possible.  
  
Tails: But I'm not a meanie!  
  
lilkoisuru: Yell at hitobito, not me! ::cries.::  
  
Tails: ::looks at lilkoisuru and crosses his arms.:: Hmph. I'm still not a meanie. 


	4. The Fourth Chapter

New Age: Dark Pages of a Fox  
  
Fourth Chapter  
  
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing in this story, including the basic concept and plot, which is owned by hitobito. SEGA owns Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Robotnik, and Tikal. You're stubborn; you keep reading this. You really don't need to.  
  
BEE'S NOTE: Well, you returneth. I am starting now the fouth chapter. Um, well, that is rather obvious. I don't have much to say, except thank you, hitobito and Inu-shounen for the encouraging reviews. I hope I get more!   
  
Thanks for your continuing patronage, readers!  
  
On with the story!  
  
********************  
  
Chapter 4 -  
  
Rise of the Followers  
  
The scent of burning ash and charred refuse lingers in the thick air as the Mystic Ruins survivors return. The leading four--Knuckles, Sonic, Amy, and Tikal--see the tragic death of the town first. All of the buildings and huts have been burned to the ground only recently. They are still alive with ash and dimming umbers.   
  
As the others gather, each inhabitant sees what is left of Mystic Ruins, of everyone's world, in his or her own way. The surviving children see a new and horrifying place. They can somewhat recognize different things that they had once known--a broken teeter-totter, a collapsed tree house; even the well where they had once passed their time throwing pretty stones into for good luck held the self-same mood of the rest of their treasures. Nothing but smoking monsters, darkness, and missing friends.  
  
Those who had gone and aided in recovering the ruins of Metropolis fitfully find their minds filling with adult concerns. They worry about their homes and their memories lost in the fire. The thought of the danger to their families and friends who stayed behind creates a quiet humility and distaste to the world. Some of the workers find themselves suddenly alone from having lost their children in the fires. They are the ones who see this blackened world and wish vengence on whoever caused this, whoever killed their lives and hearts.  
  
The whole devastated town had drifted together instinctively to assess what had gone on in their absence. Those who remained behind in Mystic Ruins are now held in the spotlight to recall what had happened. The details of the explosion of the hut on the hill and the new, unexpected enemy--their Hero of All--come to the surface.  
  
"What? Is this true?" Sonic lets out breathlessly. "The hut on the hill is what had exploded?"  
  
"Yes," an old woman answers sadly, "I'm sorry to say it is the truth."  
  
Sonic's face darkens. "T-Tails..."  
  
"What else happened?" inquires a quiet echidna from the corner of the gathering place--or what is left of it, rather.  
  
The old woman shifts her gaze to the raging bonfire in the center of the square. "That two-tailed fox came out of the rubble, glowing red, and flew towards the village, then cruelly burnt it to the ground." She pauses, biting back tears. "I almost lost my precious grandbaby. All I will ever remember is that he was laughing, just... laughing."  
  
The repeated word causes a hush over the whole of the crowd. The word is almost toxic in this world they now are left with. Laughter? When children were dying, the kit was laughing?  
  
Ever since they had seen what is left of their home, both Sonic and Amy had been crushed. They just cannot believe what Tails had done; the incident at Metropolis was bad enough, but to destroy their home makes everything indescribable. It is not just their home, but it was Tails's home as well. The shock of Tails betraying them, saying that order is the thing he must crush, torments the two.  
  
Amy is crying. "It can't be true. It just can't be."  
  
"I know. I know," responds an outwardly emotionless Sonic, crying just as much as Amy within his heart.  
  
********************  
  
Night begins to set in. The earth is becoming increasingly cooler, and all the smouldering fires have died down. The citizens remain around the bonfire in the middle of their dead village. They keep their thoughts on their pain as they watch their leaders circle them.  
  
As Knuckles, Amy, and Tikal pass out small slips of paper, Sonic calmly circles the area, telling everyone to write the ten things that went wrong the past year on the their papers. He urges them to be honest, personal, and emotional, if necessary, in their efforts to record their sorrows of the year.   
  
"These slips of paper are to be thrown in the fire and burned. If you put your heart and soul into it, the better it will feel as each of you watch your problems burn away," he recites.  
  
A line begins to form as people complete their lists. Each person, each being from Mystic Ruins, has their turn to throw these pains into the flaming safety of the bonfire. They each watch as their papers disappear into nothingness, to rid them of their sorrow, to release their anger, and to raise their hopes and spirits.  
  
For an unending two hours, the blue hedgehog struggles on his list; he could not get his hands to write anything. In no way was the reason because very little has come to Sonic's mind these past hours. On the contrary, the problem is that too much had flooded his mind. Even now Sonic is still terrified and dumbfounded of Tails's rise to power. Finally, after completing his list, his mind is freed, as he speeds over to the bonfire to throw his list in with the others.  
  
********************  
  
The sun rises slowly, almost reluctantly, over the remains of the wrecked city of Metropolis--newly dubbed by the kit as New Metropolis. A large band of around five hundred has just gathered. These people are those who rebel against everything and anything related thier pasts--against Robotnik, against the leadership of Sonic, even against the power held by the emeralds.   
  
These new followers have been wandering for days, freed by the death of the Eggman. After escaping from years of opression under Robotnik in his Oil Ocean factory, they had nothing but their knowledge about building machines. They had no homes nor a real sense of family or community. Then, in their hermitage, these heart-stricken people found a new leader. A fox of two tails with new and appealing ideals.  
  
In the new dawn, they situate themselves around a large, freshly-cleared patch of ground in the center of the new city. The debris surrounding the New Metropolisians serves as seating as they all prepare hungrily to hear the long-awaited message from Tails.  
  
Tails opens by raising the emerald, causing it to glow a bright-hot red. This grabs everyone's attention. After silence falls across the area, Tails shouts out "Eureka! You are found, my friends!"  
  
A cheer erupts, filling the air with echoes and relieved screams.  
  
Tails watches his people with eagerness and exhilaration. He continues slowly so all can hear. "Not only has the opressive Robotnik finally been crushed, but a new leader will soon be placed in control of Mystic Ruins, and the leader is not Sonic. Then you will have your rightful homes back--your homes which were claimed, taken, even stolen, by those who currently reside in Mystic Ruins after you were snatched by the pitiful dictator Robotnik.  
  
"My fellow citizens, I come before you as a leader to guide, not a ruler to dictate. I'm here to assist, not to dominate. I guarantee rights to all who come into New Metropolis who possess intentions to aide in our cause."  
  
Tails pauses. He looks over the land. He lowers his eyes as if saying a prayer. He then continues, saying, "However, there are those who oppose us. They are the self-same people who took your houses and lands. They are vigilently opposed to a rise to a new and better world order."  
  
The crowd becomes restless, angered by the people who snatched up their land, the land they inherited rightfully from their fathers. Tails holds up the glowing emerald again to gather their attention once more.  
  
"Thus, I call upon you," he continues with a strong voice, "to become my new army, my new coalition, my new defensive keepers-of-the-peace. I pray that you will take your place as the defenders of New Metropolis and of Mystic Ruins, when our moment arrives to take it back. My friends, I promise it will be soon." He smiles. "Henceforth, you will be known and feared by the name of the Followers!"  
  
Cheers rage again from the crowd and evolve to a chant of both Tails's name and the dedicated words, "We are to defend!"   
  
Tails smiles and thinks, Soon, Sonic, you will be crushed by my Followers.  
  
********************  
  
After the bonfire in Knothole, Sonic leaves for his routine run in the Mystic Ruins Jungle to clear his mind and relieve his troubled heart. As he is about to go out into a clearing, he is stopped upon hearing his name being called from behind him. He looks behind him to see Tikal.  
  
When she arrives to him, she places a steady hand on his shoulder. "I have a word for you."   
  
Sonic senses her apprehension, and says slowly, "I am listening."  
  
"The Guardian, Chaos, just now contacted me from the past, Sonic. He told me of a vision he received from the Master Emerald. There have been four premonitions granted to Chaos. The Master Emerald has revealed that one of them--Tails saving the world--has now come to pass. There is still one to occur soon, and two more will occur within in your lifetime."  
  
Sonic blinks curiously.  
  
The echidna continues. "He told me that he who walked among you, the Hero of All--Tails--will bring all of the Chaos Emeralds together and then the Great Peace will come. However, the Great Peace is not on going to favor our side, Sonic."   
  
"I figured as much, seeing as Tails has gone a wee bit of the deep end, don't you think?" Sonic says, characteristically trying to lighten the situation.  
  
"Ah, but remember, ever since you've attained the Ancient Light, you have tapped into the majority of your potential. That along with your ability to become Hyper Sonic. But Tails, as Chaos told me, has barely even scratched the surface of his potential."  
  
Sonic is silent from shock. That would mean that Tails is not just any dictator over New Metropolis, but one that could very well destroy the planet by the time Sonic dies. He takes a slow breath. "I... I'll keep that in mind."  
  
"I'm sure you will. I'm sure you will not forget it ever either," states Tikal as she turns and walks away, leaving an amazed hedgehog behind.  
  
********************  
  
End of Fourth Chapter  
  
BEE'S COMMENTS:  
  
Tails: :: is grinning evilly. :: I'm getting to like me as a ruler.  
  
Sonic: You're too short to be a ruler.  
  
lilkoisuru: *sweat drop*  
  
Tails: Says you. But hitobito and lilkoisuru think I'm fine!   
  
Sonic: Well, let's just see if you "measure" up to being a "ruler."  
  
lilkoisuru: Aiyaa. Um, well. Er...  
  
Tails: *glare*  
  
lilkoisuru: . . . . :: turns to readers. :: This may take a while. Tune in next time to see how the others handle the new vision from Chaos and to see what the other omens are. :: turns back, attempting to calm Tails down with some mint ice cream. :: 


	5. The Fifth Chapter

New Age: Dark Pages of a Fox  
  
Fifth Chapter  
  
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing in this story, including the basic concept and plot, which is owned by hitobito. SEGA owns Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Robotnik, and Tikal. The story is down there! :: points. ::  
  
BEE'S NOTE: Ladies and gentlemen! I bring to you another chapter, filled with evil and intrigue. Tut-tut-tut. No worries. That lightning flashing behind you is nothing. This chapter turned out different than I thought it would... well... ANYWAY! Read on, readers!  
  
Bwah ha ha ha ha hah!  
  
On with the story!  
  
********************  
  
Chapter 5 -  
  
First Strike  
  
Knuckles watches his blue compadre pace the center of the makeshift meeting place with mild interest. He turns back to staring at his sketches. Ever since this horrible occurrence, he has been seeing and sensing all new emotions from himself and from everyone else. He has never felt them this strong before. His hands began to ache for his sketchbook only the moment after he saw Tikal crying all alone. He then knew he needed to record everything--everything about her, about himself, just everything; he did not really understand why. His thoughts trail away as he glances up to see Amy coming towards him.  
  
"Knuckles, have you seen Sonic? I haven't seen him since last night."  
  
Knuckles, absorbed again in his sketches of emotion and disaster, does not respond for a time.  
  
"Knuckles, are you okay?"  
  
"Mm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Sonic? He was over cleaning up after last night's bonfire, last I saw him."  
  
Amy looks in the direction of the makeshift meeting place. "Really? Why?"  
  
"Well, the reason he gave to me was that he wanted to clear the space to build a platform. I really I think he's just trying to get lost in himself and forget what happened to Tails," is the red one's answer.  
  
"I guess you're right," Amy mumbles and leaves.  
  
********************  
  
In the light of the freshly rising sun, Sonic is frantically thinking of something--anything--to say to passersby. Fatigued from staying awake for so long--having not slept in over twenty-four hours--he finds he is really struggling to even care to say anything.  
  
Amy walks quietly to the area Sonic is currently working on. He is found, just as Knuckles said, holding a earthen-clad rake in the meeting center at the fire ground.   
  
The fretful hedgehog looks up at Amy. He looks down immediately and closes his eyes tightly. He mutters something quietly to her.  
  
She leans in to hear his words.  
  
"...I am sorry, Amy..." Then mumbling. "...and I wish that Tails was still with us, cheering you up..." His words melt away, becoming noticeably quiet.   
  
Amy can barely even decipher if he is even speaking at all, or just crying to himself.  
  
He suddenly speaks up, "...but, unfortunately, he has become our new..." Sonic flinches at the word he finds himself about to say, "...problem." He is still perturbed, betrayed, and hurt. He looks at her, not hiding any of the fatigue, sadness, and worry in his eyes. "Good bye, Amy."  
  
She looks into Sonic's eyes, not sure she heard him right. "What did you say?"  
  
He rewards her with no reply. He merely turns away, dropping the rake, and speeds away, leaving the shaking girl and the earth, now clean of its scars, behind.  
  
********************  
  
The clanking, hammering, shoveling sounds of a grand rebuilding has been filling the air of New Metropolis since early dawn. Found there are many of the new Followers, willing and dusty, happy and thirsty, strong and satisfied.  
  
The workers toil in the dust and grime of the recent battles. From there, they learned, the coweringly angry Eggman was forced to vacate and was later defeated. They work hard and long, untiringly, with the knowledge that their new leader was the one who freed them and found them.  
  
They watch their founder thrusting above his head things much heavier than even the late Ivo Robotnik, rebelling against even the great force of gravity. Through these simple actions, they see he will indeed lead them to their dreams, their homes, their victories.  
  
Through clouds of dust, a small, headstrong group passes through the flying soot and churning dirt. The members nod to each worker, offering him or her a cool drink of water and a small snack. After receiving utterances of graditude, they turn their attention to their leader.  
  
Tails looks up. He sees the group of five Followers, with its head at the front: a black wolf with a spiked bracelet.  
  
The wolf puts a clawed hand over the bracelet, bowing appropriately, and introduces himself as Spade. Tails nods a greeting, keeping his gaze on Spade with mild recognition.   
  
The Followers to the right and to the left of Spade step forward, offering Tails a modest meal and a cool drink, which is accepted graciously.  
  
The dark wolf smiles and speaks his purpose: a secret service to Tails.  
  
"That would be safer for me. I'll consider it. First, though, you must learn my objectives. Understood?" Tails holds out his thirsty cup.  
  
Spade nods and bows. He motions the two same Followers to refill Tails's now-empty vessel. "Also, Spade is merely my alias. You may call me by my real name." He leans to tell him, but is interrupted with Tails's wide-eyed smile.  
  
"Call me 'T-Square,' like you used to, Talon!"  
  
He just laughs. "Ah, you remember me. Sorry, but I will keep calling you 'Sir,' as I am your subordinate. Now, what are these 'objectives,'?"  
  
Tails shrugs as the final gulp from his cup rolls into his mouth. Tails pauses. "One moment, Talon." He turns to all the other Followers outside Spade's pack. "Take a break, everyone! Go home and rest. Return when the air glows red."  
  
"I'm sure they'll appreciate the rest, Sir," Spade comments as he watches the workers go their separate ways. "'...when the air glows red'?"  
  
Tails nods. "About a week ago, I had an accident involving a Chaos Emerald. A device I made to extract energy from it exploded and destroyed my hut in Mystic Ruins, but it also obliterated the walls of my naiveté and ignorance." Tails holds out his cup again thirstily, and it is instantly refilled.  
  
Spade smiles and thanks the right-hand pack member, a gray fox, two years younger than Tails.  
  
"You're welcome!" grins the gray kit.  
  
Tails smiles. "I hope you do introduce these other Followers. After which, I'll give you five your first set of instructions to carry out to prove yourselves.."  
  
"Both will be done, Sir, gladly."  
  
The orange fox continues. "It is said the Chaos Emeralds have an infinite amount of energy. My plan was to harvest it. But I smashed the device."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
Tails looks up. "I was in a rage, angry that I was so stupid to follow a hedgehog who acts with his heart and not his brain or his hands, like we do. Please understand that I do not rule for the citizens. I rule to destroy, to raise my chaos, and to crush all my opposition--those who stand in the ideals of emotion and ignorance, such as Sonic and Amy. The emerald gives me power."  
  
"That's how you make the air glow red? With the emerald?"  
  
"Yes, Talon. And also from the emerald, I was taught that Sonic's kind of order--that of heroism without knowing why--must not prevail. We must become missionaries to teach them what to fight for."  
  
"Mystic Ruins?"  
  
"Yes. They took your homes and they did not even come to rescue you under your oppression. They never even talked of it. I would know; I was there. They were too cowardly to face those whose homes they stole." With another glassful in his hand, he finishes. "With you, my special forces, my men, you will realize my dreams. Do you understand?"  
  
"Indeed we do," grins Spade, "But, I have a small request upon our group name, Sir."  
  
"Okay?"  
  
"Just call us your Pack." With a hand gesture, he motions for them to stand up.  
  
The Pack stands up as a unit. Spade stands next to Tails and begins introductions.  
  
********************  
  
"Tikal and Amy are now overseeing the reconstruction of all the huts," Knuckles tells himself as he is creating with his hands new sketches of rebirth and atonement for losses. "...and Sonic is nowhere to be seen." He closes the sketchbook, and walks over to Tikal for an update on Tails.  
  
Amy sees the timid look in Knuckles's eyes and slips away to leave them alone.  
  
"Recon reports say that Tails is doing something special, involving his people. I think they call themselves the Followers," Tikal stands there, quietly watching everyone building. A slight wind ruffles her fur and she sighs.  
  
Knuckles looks at her closely.  
  
"I just don't like the idea of Tails rising to power. It's scary," she says slowly. Tikal begins to feel the burning of Knuckles's glance, and turns her face to his.   
  
"Yeah, I know. I really never thought of Tails as a potential threat. I have no idea what he is capable of."   
  
Tikal stares deeper into Knuckles's eyes, trying to read his thoughts.  
  
Knuckles awkwardly side-steps over to the emotionally-rumpled echidna next to him. "Tikal, I... don't know what to do."  
  
She smiles and tilts her head lightly down to cover her face and her tears with her hair. "It's okay. You don't need to know; none of us do."  
  
He swiftly sweeps an arm above her shoulders, turning her into a hug of innocent warmth and friendship. He knows she does not need to cry, and he will see to it that she does not.   
  
She feels him sigh into her hair. She closes her eyes. In the darkness of her mind, she notices the strength of his hold. She relaxes a little.  
  
"I am here for you, Tikal."  
  
Opening her eyes, she looks straight at the seemingly-distant ground. She is kind of light-headed, thrust deep into thought. She turns her head up, meeting her eyes with his. She finds she is holding onto him as much as he is to her.  
  
As the seconds pass gently by, the red echidna keeps his arms wrapped around this girl. He feels the sharp need to keep her from falling apart right there in his arms. He turns his head down, dropping his sketchbook, and nuzzles her gently.  
  
She looks down to see briefly a drawing of herself crying, when an abrupt explosion rocks Mystic Ruin. The two echidnas turn just in time to see the most rebuilt structure in the area topple to the ground.  
  
Squinting, Tikal sees a small group standing on top of the debris. The people in the group of five were not Mystic Ruin's inhabitants. "Are those Followers?"  
  
Knuckles stutters quietly. "I... I don't know."  
  
And there, standing amongst the building's tattered frame, is a black wolf.  
  
Tikal gasps, recognizing him from somewhere. Her mind stuggles to grasp from her fuzzy memory where she has seen him.   
  
Spade walks up to her, grinning. He covers his hand over his spiked bracelet and bows himself graciously, turning his golden eyes to her. "Hello, Your Highness. We are the Pack, on an errand commanded by our master."  
  
"From Tails?"  
  
"The purpose is simply this: To inform you that if we are so able to easily infiltrate your village and destroy your shoddy buildings, then you had better just surrender now." He stands from his bow and looks down at her.  
  
"Who are you?!"  
  
The dark wolf simply turns away. "Just an old friend," Spade replies, before taking off with his Pack in tow.  
  
********************  
  
End of Fifth Chapter  
  
BEE'S COMMENTS:  
  
lilkoisuru: Ooooooh. I like Talon... er... Spade...  
  
Tails: Gee, I wonder why.  
  
Sonic: Why am I here? I'm barely even in this chapter!  
  
Tails: Gee, I wonder why.  
  
lilkoisuru: ... So manly and cute. :: thinks of a certain mate of hers. ::  
  
Tails: Gee, I wonder why.  
  
Sonic: :: stares at lilkoisuru. :: She's lost it.  
  
Tails: Gee, I wonder why.  
  
Sonic: . . . . Um... well, lilkoisuru is in her own world, and I think Tails broke.  
  
Tails: Gee, I wonder why.  
  
Sonic: Come back later; read chapter six; et cetera and so forth... :: waves. ::  
  
Tails: Gee, I wonder why... 


End file.
